The wind howled through the ruins of the village, carrying the scent of blood, fire, and death. The bodies lay sprawled around Aeron, twisted in unnatural ways, their faces frozen in terror. His hands trembled at his sides, still coated in the warmth of their stolen life. His heartbeat pounded in his skull, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't drown out the voices.
"Monster."
The whisper curled through the air, soft yet deafening. He sucked in a sharp breath and looked around. The bodies hadn't moved, yet he felt them watching. Their lifeless eyes bore into him. Accusing.
"You belong to us now."
Aeron staggered back, his breath ragged. Shadows stretched unnaturally from the broken walls and shattered homes, slithering toward him like grasping fingers. The hunger inside him still growled, insatiable, gnawing at his sanity.
He clenched his fists. Not again. Please, not again.
Then, he felt it.
A presence.
Not like the voices. Not like the hunger.
Something else. Something watching.
Footsteps.
Measured. Controlled. Purposeful.
Aeron turned sharply as a figure emerged from the ruins. A man draped in dark indigo robes, the fabric adorned with glowing runes that pulsed faintly with power. His silver hair flowed past his shoulders, untouched by the filth of the battlefield. His eyes—piercing and ancient—studied Aeron not with fear or pity, but with something even more unsettling.
Understanding.
"You must be Aeron," the man said, voice calm as the storm raged around them.
Aeron tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat.
The stranger stepped closer. "I am Segirus. A seeker of knowledge. A guardian against the darkness that now grips you."
Aeron flinched at the words. "Darkness?" His voice was hoarse. "You don't understand." His nails dug into his own arms. "It's not just inside me. It is me."
Segirus studied him for a long moment. Then, without hesitation, he extended his hand.
"There is a way to sever it."
Aeron stared at the outstretched hand, his mind warring with itself. He didn't deserve help. He didn't deserve salvation. He was already lost.
And yet…
Beneath the hunger. Beneath the horror.
A fragile, desperate hope.
His hand shook as he reached out—
And grasped Segirus's.
The world shattered around them.
---
The Trial of the Devourer
Aeron gasped as the ruined village vanished, replaced by a vast, swirling abyss. Shadows stretched infinitely in all directions, an endless void untouched by time or space. Floating symbols flickered in the darkness—ancient runes pulsating with faint blue light.
Segirus released his grip and took a step back. "We are inside the boundary of your soul."
Aeron's breath hitched. "What—?"
A low, guttural growl rumbled through the void.
He turned sharply—
And it was there.
A monstrous abomination, its body shifting and writhing, countless mouths gaping and closing across its grotesque form. Its many eyes—black pits of hunger—fixed onto Aeron.
It let out a deep, resonant laugh.
"You cannot remove me."
The voice was not singular—it was a symphony of the damned, a chorus of despair.
"I am you. You are me. We are one."
Aeron stumbled back, his heart hammering. The thing—his hunger—slithered forward, its form pulsing like a living nightmare.
"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" the Devourer purred. "The taste of their fear? The warmth of their flesh? The power?"
Aeron clenched his fists. "No."
The creature tilted its head. "Liar."
It lunged.
Aeron raised his hands instinctively—
A flash of blue light erupted between them, symbols forming in the air. The Devourer slammed into an invisible barrier, screeching as the force sent it recoiling.
Aeron gasped, staring at his hands. The runes—glowing with an ethereal blue energy—felt… familiar.
Segirus's voice rang through the abyss. "Rune magic flows through you, Aeron! It is your birthright! Use it!"
The Devourer snarled, shifting its form.
"You cannot fight me! You are nothing without me!"
Aeron's breath steadied. No.
He could fight it.
He raised his hand, instinct guiding him. With a sharp motion, he carved a glowing rune into the void. The symbol flared—
A surge of energy erupted from his palm, slamming into the Devourer. The creature howled as the attack tore through its shadowy form.
But it wasn't enough.
With a guttural snarl, the Devourer regenerated, its wounds sealing almost instantly.
"Fool." It lunged again, faster this time.
Aeron barely dodged. The creature's claws grazed his side, and pain exploded through him. He hit the ground, gasping as the wound pulsed—his own darkness trying to consume him.
"Don't let it overtake you!" Segirus's voice echoed. "Focus! Your magic is stronger than it!"
Aeron gritted his teeth. He forced himself to his feet, ignoring the pain.
I won't be its puppet.
He traced another rune—this one more intricate, the lines flowing like a river. The moment it formed, power surged through him. The wound on his side stopped burning. His vision sharpened.
The Devourer lunged again—
This time, Aeron was ready.
He slashed his hand through the air, the rune flaring. Chains of glowing light shot forward, wrapping around the Devourer. The creature shrieked, thrashing as the runes burned into its flesh.
"NO! YOU CANNOT—"
Aeron didn't hesitate. He traced another symbol, faster, stronger. The rune expanded, consuming the monster in radiant energy. The Devourer writhed, its screams shaking the abyss itself.
Aeron kept going.
More runes. More light.
The abyss trembled.
The Devourer let out a final, ear-piercing wail—before it was torn apart, its form unraveling into nothingness.
The abyss collapsed around them.
---
Aeron's Awakening
Aeron jolted awake, gasping for breath. His body was drenched in sweat, his muscles aching. But… he was back in the village square. The ruins remained unchanged, but something inside him was different.
The hunger was still there. But it no longer controlled him.
He looked at his hands. The runes still faintly shimmered beneath his skin.
"The runes…" he whispered. "They were always inside me…"
Segirus nodded, watching him with quiet approval. "You are a Rune Mage, Aeron. A true prodigy. Your affinity is unlike anything I have ever seen."
Aeron's fingers curled. The weight of everything settled in. The hunger had ruled him for so long. But now…
Now he had something else.
A new power.
A different path.
He met Segirus's gaze. "Will you teach me?"
Segirus smiled. "I will guide you. But the road ahead will not be easy."
Aeron took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The Devourer was no more.
Aeron, the Rune Mage, had been born.